Fethullah Gülen
Fethullah Gülen | |
---|---|
![]() Gülen in 2016 | |
Born | Muhammed Fethullah Gülen 27 April 1941 Pasinler, Erzurum, Turkey |
Nationality | Turkish |
Citizenship | Stateless (from 2017)[3] |
Occupation(s) | Scholar, author, preacher |
Known for | Gülen movement |
Writing career | |
Subject | Moderate Islam Turkish politics anti-communism Turkish nationalism universal education interfaith dialogue among |
Literary movement | Nurcu |
Notable awards | 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda Award for Peace[5][6] |
Philosophy career | |
School | Hanafi[7][8] |
Main interests | Islamic thought Sufism |
Website | fgulen |
Muhammed Fethullah Gülen[10] (born 27 April 1941) is a Turkish preacher,[11] imam,[11][12] writer,[13] and political figure.[14] He is the founder of the Gülen movement (known as Hizmet meaning service in Turkish), which is 3 to 6 million strong volunteer based movement mostly focused on the education, interfaith dialogue providing primary and secondary education, in Turkey (in which business entities and foundations have been closed down by the Turkish government by the thousands in 2017) and in Africa, Central Asia, the Americas, and Europe.[15][16] Hizmet's most populous organization is a moderate Islamic advocacy group, Alliance for Shared Values. Gulen lives in exile in the United States, residing in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.[17][18][19] He is sought by the Turkish government for alleged involvement in the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.[20]
Gülen is actively involved in the societal debate concerning the future of the Turkish state, and Islam in the modern world. He has been described in the English-language media as an imam "who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures."[21][22] However, James Jeffrey, former American ambassador in Ankara, has claimed that the Gülen movement, aside from its "legal and visible" activities, had infiltrated the Turkish armed forces, police and judiciary.[23]
The Gülen movement (often referred as Gulenists) has been characterized as a civil society group promoting education, religious tolerance, and building social networks. Having shared a major goal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of empowering religious individuals in civil life officially disenfranchised under then existing law in secular Turkey, Gulen and his movement were aligned with Erdoğan prior to 2013.[24] The alliance was destroyed after the 2013 corruption investigations in Turkey.[25][26][27][28][29] Erdoğan accused Gülen of being behind the corruption investigations.[30] A Turkish criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Gülen.[31][32] Turkey is demanding the extradition of Gülen from the United States.[26][33][34] However, U.S. figures in general do not believe he is associated with any terrorist activity, and have requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish Government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition.[35][36][37]
He was accused of being against the peace process which had aimed to resolve the long-running Kurdish-Turkish conflict. However, Gülen's supporters dismiss this claim, citing his work with many Kurds.[38][39][40][41][42]
Biography
Background
This section may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (March 2017) |
Gülen was born in the village of Korucuk, near Erzurum,[43][44] to Ramiz and Refia Gülen.[45] There is some confusion over his birth date. Some accounts, usually older ones, give it as 10 November 1938, while others give 27 April 1941.[43][46] Some commentators point to the 10 November 1938 date coinciding with the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who founded modern Turkey, and suggests that it was deliberately chosen for its political significance.[43][47] An alternative explanation for the discrepancy offered by one of Gülen's close students, and biographer, was that his parents waited 3 years to register his birth.[48] State documents support the 1941 date,[43][46] and Gülen's English website now uses that;[43] it is now the accepted date.[43][46]
His father was an imam.[49] His mother taught the Qur'an in their village, despite such informal religious instruction being banned by the Kemalist government.[50] Gülen's formal schooling ceased when his family moved to another village.[49][51] He took part in Islamic education in some Erzurum madrasas[52] and he gave his first sermon when he was 14.[citation needed] Gülen was influenced by the ideas of Said Nursî.[53]
Comparing Gülen to followers of the Nursî-inspired Risale-i Nur or "Nur movement," Hakan Yavuz said, "Gülen is more Turkish nationalist in his thinking. Also, he is somewhat more state-oriented, and is more concerned with market economics and neo-liberal economic policies."[54]
Oxford Analytica says:
Gülen put Nursi's ideas into practice when he was transferred to a mosque in Izmir in 1966. Izmir is a city where political Islam never took root. However, the business and professional middle class came to resent the constraints of a state bureaucracy under whose wings it had grown, and supported market-friendly policies, while preserving at least some elements of a conservative lifestyle. Such businessmen were largely pro-Western, because it was Western (mainly U.S.) influence, which had persuaded the government to allow free elections for the first time in 1950 [sic] and U.S. aid, which had primed the pump of economic growth.[55]
Gülen retired from formal preaching duties in 1981. From 1988 to 1991 he gave a series of sermons in popular mosques of major cities. In 1994, he participated in the founding of "Journalists and Writers Foundation"[56] and was given the title "Honorary President" by the foundation.[57] He did not make any comment regarding the closures of the Welfare Party in 1998[58] or the Virtue Party in 2001.[59] He has met some politicians like Tansu Çiller and Bülent Ecevit, but he avoids meeting with the leaders of Islamic political parties.[59]
In 1999, Gülen relocated to the United States for medical treatment.[60] According to the then-Kemalist Turkish law of the time, which was intended to ensure modernity and secularism, non-state sanctioned religious endeavors, and Gülen could have anticipated being tried especially over remarks (aired after he immigrated to U.S.) which seemed to favor an Islamic state.[61][62] In June 1999, after Gülen had left Turkey, videotapes were sent to some Turkish television stations with recordings of Gülen saying,
The existing system is still in power. Our friends who have positions in legislative and administrative bodies should learn its details and be vigilant all the time so that they can transform it and be more fruitful on behalf of Islam in order to carry out a nationwide restoration. However, they should wait until the conditions become more favorable. In other words, they should not come out too early.[63]
Gülen said his remarks were taken out of context,[64] and his supporters raised questions about the authenticity of the tape,[65] which he claimed had been "manipulated." Gülen was tried in absentia in 2000, and acquitted in 2008 under the new Justice and Development Party (AKP) government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[60][66]
Gülen procured a green card in 2001.[67] Gülen's application for permanent residence status in the US was controversial. Gülen first based his claim to residency on his status as an "alien of extraordinary ability" in the field of education - the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services categorically rejected it. As lawyers representing the Secretary of Homeland Security observed, Gülen has no degree or training in education and had authored no scholarly works. To the contrary, they argued, the evidence submitted by Gülen indicates that, far from being an academic, he seeks to cloak himself with academic status by commissioning academics to write about him and paying for conferences at which his work is studied. But, over the objections of the FBI, of the State Department, and of the Department of Homeland Security, three former CIA operatives intervened and managed to secure a permanent US residency for Gülen. CIA National Intelligence Council former vice chairman Graham E. Fuller, former CIA official George Fidas and former US Ambassador to Turkey Morton Abramowitz wrote endorsement letters for Gülen's green card application in 2008.[68] His application ultimately won approval.[69][70]
With the advent of Erdoğanist Turkey in the 2000s, structural impediments to Muslims' participation in civil life were gradually lifted. Many of those educated in institutions sponsored by participants in civil-society endeavors that Gülen had inspired ended up as members of the Turkey's judiciary, its governmental apparatus, and its military. In the build-up of societal conflicts in the period just prior to the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Erdoğanism changed in its perception of Gülenism from that of sometimes ally to a dangerous rival, attempting to construct a parallel state structure. Before and after the attempted putsch, Gülenists became the greatest portion of those caught up in the massive 2016–present purges in Turkey.[61]
On 19 December 2014, a Turkish court issued an arrest warrant for Gülen after over 20 journalists working for media outlets thought to be sympathetic to the Gülen movement were arrested. Gülen was accused of establishing and running an "armed terrorist group."[71]
Recep Tayip Erdoğan accused Fethullah Gülen of masterminding the failed 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.[72]
Personal life
Born in 1941 and ailing,[73] Gulen resides at the movement-affiliated Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center, a 25-acre wooded estate in the Poconos (within Ross Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, near Saylorsburg[74]) whose name references Gulenists' goal of educating a "golden generation" in natural sciences and foreign languages who also are devoted to Islam and "Turkish national objectives."[75] As of 2018, about thirty people live and work on the estate, owned by the Golden Generation Foundation. The sign at its entrance bears the retreat's long-standing name, "Chestnut Camp."[76][77] Never married, Gulen's own living quarters and study are within a pair of small rooms with a mattress on the floor, prayer mat, desk, bookshelves, and treadmill, within one of the estate's several structures, among which is a hall used as a mosque.[78][79] Gulen spends his time engaging in Islamic scholarship and in writing, often giving speeches that are broadcast to participants of his movement. He occasionally grants interviews requests to journalists for media outlets that are not affiliated with Hizmet.
Influence in Turkish society and politics
The Gülen movement, also known as Hizmet or Jamaat, has millions of followers in Turkey, as well as many more abroad. Beyond the schools established by Gülen's followers, it is believed that many Gülenists hold positions of power in Turkey's police forces and judiciary.[80][81] Turkish and foreign analysts believe Gülen also has sympathizers in the Turkish parliament and that his movement controlled the widely read Islamic conservative Zaman newspaper, the private Bank Asya bank, the Samanyolu TV television station, and many other media and business organizations, including the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON).[82] All have been shut down following the coup attempt. In March 2011, the Turkish government arrested the investigative journalist Ahmet Şık and seized and banned his book The Imam's Army, the culmination of Şık's investigation into Gülen and the Gülen movement.[83]
Gülen taught a Hanafi version of Islam, deriving from Sunni Muslim scholar Said Nursî's teachings. Gülen has stated that he believes in science, interfaith dialogue among the People of the Book, and multi-party democracy.[21] He has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican[84] and some Jewish organizations.[85]
1970s, 1980s, and 1990s
During the political violence in Turkey between the right and left in the 1970s, Gülen "invited people to practice tolerance and forgiveness."[86] Following the 1980 military d'état, in which the military targeted communists, Gülen gave his "explicit assent" to the coup,[86] saying:
I want to also add that the architects of the coup also took some positive administrative decisions. They shook society to renew itself once again. They defeated the Communist movement which recruited some misguided youth who wanted Turkey to be under Soviet influence. They intentionally or unintentionally prevented our country from entering into quagmire and into a long bloody struggle. Moreover, they gave opportunities to some decent children of our homeland to serve our nation.[87]
Following the political violence of the preceding years, Gülen expected that the coup would reestablish stability and lead to a subsequent restoration of democracy. Gülen's assent to the coup later prompted criticism from Turkish liberals.[86]
Despite Gülen's support for the coup, the military authorities issued an arrest warrant against him, which was revoked by a "state security court" in 1986.[87]
In the 1980s and 1990s under Turgut Özal, Gülen and his movement benefited from social and political reforms, managing "to turn his traditional and geographically confined faith movement into a nationwide educational and cultural phenomenon" that "attempted to bring 'religious' perspectives into the public sphere on social and cultural issues."[88] The growth of the Gülen movement sparked opposition from both Kemalists, who perceived the movement as threatening to undermine secularism, and from more radical Islamists who viewed the movement as "accommodating" and "pro-American."[89]
Ergenekon Trials
In 2005, a man affiliated with the Gülen movement approached U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Eric S. Edelman during a party in Istanbul and handed him an envelope containing a document supposedly detailing plans for an imminent coup against the government by the Turkish military. However, the documents were soon found to be forgeries.[81] Gülen affiliates claim the movement is "civic" in nature and that it does not have political aspirations.[82] However, he was accused of being the mastermind behind the Ergenekon trials by secularists, who see the trial's objective as weakening of Turkish military. Those who publicly said that the trial was a sham were subject to harassment by Zaman, some examples being Dani Rodrik[90] and İlhan Cihaner.[91]
Split with Erdoğan
Despite Gülen's and his followers' claims that the organization is non-political in nature, analysts believed that a number of corruption-related arrests made against allies of Erdoğan reflect a growing political power struggle between Gülen and Erdoğan.[80][92] These arrests led to the 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey, which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)'s supporters (along with Erdoğan himself) and the opposition parties alike have said were choreographed by Gülen after Erdoğan's government came to the decision early in December 2013 to shut down many of his movement's private pre-university schools in Turkey.[93]
The Erdoğan government has said that the corruption investigation and comments by Gülen are the long term political agenda of Gülen's movement to infiltrate security, intelligence, and justice institutions of the Turkish state, a charge almost identical to the charges against Gülen by the Chief Prosecutor of Turkey in his trial in 2000 before Erdoğan's party had come into power.[82] Gülen had previously been tried in absentia in 2000, and acquitted of these charges in 2008 under Erdoğan's AKP government.[60][66]
In emailed comments to the Wall Street Journal in January 2014, Gülen said that "Turkish people ... are upset that in the last two years democratic progress is now being reversed", but he denied being part of a plot to unseat the government.[67] Later, in January 2014 in an interview with BBC World, Gülen said "If I were to say anything to people I may say people should vote for those who are respectful to democracy, rule of law, who get on well with people. Telling or encouraging people to vote for a party would be an insult to peoples' intellect. Everybody very clearly sees what is going on."[94]
According to some commentators, Gülen is to Erdoğan what Trotsky was to Stalin.[95] Ben Cohen wrote: "Rather like Leon Trotsky, the founder of the Soviet Red Army who was hounded and chased out of the USSR by Joseph Stalin, Gulen has become an all-encompassing explanation for the existential threats, as Erdogan perceives them, that are currently plaguing Turkey. Stalin saw the influence of "Trotskyite counter-revolutionaries" everywhere, and brutally purged every element of the Soviet apparatus. Erdogan is now doing much the same with the "Gulenist terrorists."[96]
Extradition request, U.S.–Turkey tensions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Fethullah_G%C3%BClen_2016.jpg/220px-Fethullah_G%C3%BClen_2016.jpg)
Shortly after the botched coup attempt of 15 July 2016, the Turkish government claimed that the coup attempt had been organized by Gülen and/or his movement. Turkish prime minister Binali Yıldırım in late July 2016 told The Guardian: "Of course, since the leader of this terrorist organisation is residing in the United States, there are question marks in the minds of the people whether there is any U.S. involvement or backing. So America from this point on should really think how they will continue to cooperate with Turkey, which is a strategic ally for them in the region and world."[97] Gülen, who denied any involvement in the coup attempt and denounced it,[98] has in turn accused Erdoğan of "turning a failed putsch into a slow-motion coup of his own against constitutional government."[99] On 19 July, the Turkish prime minister stated that an official request had been sent to the U.S. for the extradition of Fethullah Gülen: "We have sent four dossiers to the United States for the extradition of the terrorist chief."[100] On the same day, the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that president Obama had earlier in the day had a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart and the "status of Mr. Gülen was discussed on the call"; he further elaborated on the extradition issue:
I can tell you that also earlier this morning, separate from the phone call, there were materials presented by the Turkish government in electronic form to the U.S. government related to Mr. Gülen's status. And the Department of Justice and the Department of State will review those materials, consistent with the requirements of the extradition treaty between the United States and Turkey that's been on the books for more than 30 years now. But the President also made clear a couple of other things. The first is that the United States doesn't support terrorists. The United States doesn't support individuals who conspire to overthrow democratically elected governments. The United States follows the rule of law. And as it relates to Mr. Gülen's status, there is a process that is established in the extradition treaty that we will follow. There also is due process to which people who live in the United States are entitled. And we'll make sure that that due process is followed as well. The decision about Mr. Gülen's status and the decision to extradite him is not a decision that is made by the President of the United States. It is a legal decision that is made pursuant to a legal process, part of which is codified in a longstanding treaty between the United States and Turkey. So that's the process that we'll follow. Again, I can't say definitively at this point that a formal request has been made. We're still reviewing the materials that were submitted by the Turkish government, and we'll do that consistent with the process that's been established both in U.S. law and in the extradition treaty between the United States and Turkey.[101]
At the end of July, the Turkish prime minister in his interview with The Wall Street Journal expressed frustration over the perceived lack of support on the part of the U.S. administration regarding the extradition request saying that the evidence against Gülen was "crystal clear".[102] On 4 August 2016, the U.S. State Department said it had received what would amount to a formal extradition request as well as documents purported to be the incriminating evidence and was "in the process of going through those documents".[103][104] According to senior U.S. officials, the evidence only pertained to certain alleged pre-coup criminal activity.[105] On September 19, Turkish government officials met with retired Army Lt. General Mike Flynn, former CIA Director James Woolsey, and others to discuss legal and potentially illegal ways to take Gülen from the US to Turkey without going through the standard extradition process.[106] In March 2017, Flynn registered as a foreign agent for his 2016 lobbying work on behalf of the government of Turkey.[107]
In addition, the Turkish government reportedly sought to pressure a number of foreign governments into shutting down schools and medical facilities allegedly associated with the Gülen movement including in Pakistan, Somalia, Germany, Indonesia, Nigeria and Kenya.[108] In Somalia, two large schools and a hospital linked to the movement have been shut down following a request by the Turkish administration.[109] Albania and Bosnia have also seen requests by Turkey to close or investigate Gülen-linked schools.[110]
Egypt asylum proposal
In Egypt, MP Emad Mahrous called on the Egyptian government to grant asylum to Gülen. In the request, sent to Speaker of the House of Representatives Ali Abdel-Aal, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on 24 July 2016, Mahrous notes that "[Turkey] was a moderate Muslim country that has become an Islamist dictatorship at the hands of [Turkish president] Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his affiliated Muslim Brotherhood political party", arguing that it was highly distasteful that Erdoğan has requested Gülen's extradition from the United States while at the same time "... giving shelter to hundreds of leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organisation and members of other bloody militant Islamist groups which attack Egypt by day and night". Mahrous argues that Erdoğan has not only accused Gülen of plotting the failed coup attempt, but also used this allegation as an excuse to engage in mass purges against public institutions allegedly loyal to Gülen—"but at the same time Erdoğan has decided to turn Turkey into a media battleground against Egypt, with Turkish intelligence providing funds for several Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to attack Egypt". Mahrous stated that his advice to Gülen is to not wait until his extradition, but instead leave the United States and obtain permanent asylum in Egypt.[111]
Continuing aftermath
In March 2017, former CIA Director James Woolsey told the Wall Street Journal that he had been at a September 19, 2016 meeting with then Trump campaign advisor Mike Flynn with Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, and energy minister, Berat Albayrak, where the possibility of Gulen's abduction and forced rendition to Turkey was discussed.[112][113] Although no concrete kidnapping plan was discussed, Woolsey left the meeting, concerned that a general discussion about "a covert step in the dead of night to whisk this guy away" might be construed as illegal under American law.[114] A spokesman for Flynn denied Woolsey's account, telling Business Insider that no nonjudicial removal had been discussed at the meeting.[115]
In July 2017, one year after the anti-Erdoğan putsch, Gülen wrote:
"Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless, politically motivated slanders."[116][117] In the 1990s Gulen had been issued a special Turkish passport as a retired holder of the religious post, in the Turkish state religion of Sunni Islam, of mufti; in 2017 this passport was revoked.[118] Unless Gulen travels to Turkey by the end of September 2017, he will be stateless.[119] On September 26, 2017, Gulen asked for a United Nations commission to investigate the 2016 coup attempt.[120]
Also, Gulen said in an interview with NPR: "To this day, I have stood against all coups. My respect for the military aside, I have always been against interventions. ...If any one among those soldiers had called me and told me of their plan, I would tell them, 'You are committing murder.' ... If they ask me what my final wish is, I would say the person [Erdogan] who caused all this suffering and oppressed thousands of innocents, I want to spit in his face."[121]
On 28 September 2017, Erdoğan requested the U.S. to extradite Gülen in exchange for American pastor Andrew Brunson, under arrest in Turkey on charges related to Brunson's alleged affiliation with "FETO" (the Gulen movement); Erdoğan said, "You have a pastor too. Give him to us.... Then we will try [Brunson] and give him to you...."[122][123][124][125] "You have a pastor too. ... You give us that one and we'll work with our judiciary and give back yours."[123] The Federal judiciary alone determines extradition cases in the U.S.[126] An August 2017 decree gave Erdogan authority to approve the exchange of detained or convicted foreigners with people held in other countries. Asked about the suggested swap on September 28, 2017, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: "I can't imagine that we would go down that road. ... We have received extradition requests for him [Gulen]." Anonymous US officials have said to reporters that the Turkish government has not yet provided sufficient evidence for the U.S. Justice Department to charge Gulen.[127]
As of September 2017, what Turkey had provided the U.S. was information about Gulen dating to before the 2016 coup attempt and Turkey was in the process of compiling information allegedly linking Gulen to the coup attempt.[128]
In 2017, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch separately issued statements urging governments to avoid extraditions to Turkey.[129]
Theology
Gülen does not advocate a new theology but refers to classical authorities of theology, taking up their line of argument.[130] His understanding of Islam tends to be moderate and mainstream.[131][132] Though he has never been a member of a Sufi tarekat and does not see tarekat membership as a necessity for Muslims, he teaches that "Sufism is the inner dimension of Islam" and "the inner and outer dimensions must never be separated."[133]
His teachings differ in emphasis from those of other mainstream Islamic scholars in two respects, both based on his interpretations of particular verses of the Quran. He teaches that the Muslim community has a duty of service (Turkish: hizmet)[134] to the "common good" of the community and the nation[135] and to Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world;[136] and that the Muslim community is obliged to conduct dialogue with not just the "People of the Book" (Jews and Christians), and people of other religions, but also with agnostics and atheists.
Gulen's Sufism is greatly influenced by Sufi Kurdish Quranic scholar Said Nursi (1877–1960), who advocated illuminating modern education and science through Islam. Gulen expands on Nursi to advocate what has been described as a "Turkish nationalist, state-centered and pro-business approach" centered on service (hizmet, in Turkish).[16]
Activities
The Gülen movement is a transnational Islamic civic society movement inspired by Gülen's teachings. His teachings about hizmet (altruistic service to the "common good") have attracted a large number of supporters in Turkey, Central Asia, and increasingly in other parts of the world.[nb 1]
Education
In his sermons, Gülen has reportedly stated: "Studying physics, mathematics, and chemistry is worshipping God."[60] Gülen's followers have built over 1,000 schools around the world.[137] In Turkey, Gülen's schools are considered among the best: expensive modern facilities and English language is taught from the first grade.[60] However, former teachers from outside the Gülen community have called into question the treatment of women and girls in Gülen schools, reporting that female teachers were excluded from administrative responsibilities, allowed little autonomy, and—along with girls from the sixth grade and up—segregated from male colleagues and pupils during break and lunch periods.[138]
Interfaith and intercultural dialogue
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Fethullah_G%C3%BClen_visiting_Ioannes_Paulus_II.jpg/220px-Fethullah_G%C3%BClen_visiting_Ioannes_Paulus_II.jpg)
During the 1990s, he began to advocate interreligious tolerance and dialogue.[85] He has personally met with leaders of other religions, including Pope John Paul II,[84] the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, and Israeli Sephardic Head Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron.[139]
Gülen has said that he favors cooperation between followers of different religions as well as religious and secular elements within society. Among his strongest supporters and collaborators has been for years the Greek Orthodox Turcologist and professor at the University of Ottawa, Dimitri Kitsikis.
Gülen has shown sympathy towards certain demands of Turkey's Alevi minority, such as recognising their cemevis as official places of worship and supporting better Sunni-Alevi relations; stating Alevis "definitely enrich Turkish culture."[140][141][142]
Views on contemporary issues
Secularism
Gülen has criticized secularism in Turkey as "reductionist materialism". However, he has in the past said that a secular approach that is "not anti-religious" and "allows for freedom of religion and belief, is compatible with Islam."[143]
According to one Gülen press release, in democratic-secular countries, 95% of Islamic principles are permissible and practically feasible, and there is no problem with them. The remaining 5% "are not worth fighting for."[144]
Turkey bid to join the EU
Gülen has supported Turkey's bid to join the European Union and has said that neither Turkey nor the EU have anything to fear, but have much to gain, from a future of full Turkish membership in the EU.[143]
Women's roles
According to Aras and Caha, Gülen's views on women are "progressive".[58] Gülen says the coming of Islam saved women, who "were absolutely not confined to their home and ... never oppressed" in the early years of the religion. He feels that extreme feminism, however, is "doomed to imbalance like all other reactionary movements" and eventually "being full of hatred towards men."[145]
Terrorism
Gülen has condemned terrorism.[146] He warns against the phenomenon of arbitrary violence and aggression against civilians and said that it "has no place in Islam". He wrote a condemnation article in the Washington Post on September 12, 2001, one day after the September 11 attacks, and stated that "A Muslim can not be a terrorist, nor can a terrorist be a true Muslim."[147][148] Gülen lamented the "hijacking of Islam" by terrorists.[85]
Gaza flotilla
Gülen criticized the Turkish-led Gaza flotilla for trying to deliver aid without Israel's consent to Palestinians in Gaza.[149] He spoke of watching the news coverage of the deadly confrontation between Israeli commandos and multinational aid group members as its flotilla approached Israel's sea blockade of Gaza. He said, "What I saw was not pretty, it was ugly." He has since continued his criticism, saying later that the organizers' failure to seek accord with Israel before attempting to deliver aid was "a sign of defying authority, and will not lead to fruitful matters."[150]
Syrian Civil War
Gülen is strongly against Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War.[151] While rejecting the Turkish government's desire to topple the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, Gülen supports military intervention against ISIL.[152][153]
Legacy
In 2017, reports identified four candidates to succeed Gulen, if necessary, in leadership of the Hizmet movement: Mehmet Ali Şengül, Cevdet Türkyolu, Osman Şimşek and Ahmet Kurucan.[73]
Publications
Gülen's official website[154] lists 44 publications by him; these are, however, more akin to essays and collections of sermons than books on specific subjects with a specific thesis. He is also said to have authored many articles on a variety of topics: social, political and religious issues, art, science and sports, and recorded thousands of audio and video cassettes. He writes the lead article for The Fountain, Yeni Ümit, Sızıntı, and Yağmur Islamic philosophical magazines. Several of his books have been translated into English.[155]
- The Messenger of God: Muhammad, Tughra Books, 2nd edition, 2008. ISBN 1597841374
- Reflections on the Qur'an: Commentaries on Selected Verses, Tughra Books, 2012. ISBN 1597842648
- Toward Global Civilization Love and Tolerance, Tughra Books, 2010.
- From Seed to Cedar: Nurturing the Spiritual Needs in Children, Tughra Books, 2013. ISBN 1597842788
- Terror and Suicide Attacks: An Islamic Perspective, Tughra Books, 2008. ISBN 1932099743
- Journey to Noble Ideals: Droplets of Wisdom from the Heart (Broken Jug), Tughra Books, 2014. ISBN 1597843482
- Speech and Power of Expression, Tughra Books, 2010. ISBN 1597842168
- Selected Prayers of Prophet Muhammad, Tughra Books, 2012. ISBN 1597842265
Reception
Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College awarded its 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda Peace Award to Gülen in recognition of his lifelong dedication to promoting peace and human rights.[156][157][158]
Gülen topped the 2008 Top 100 Public Intellectuals Poll and came out as the most influential thinker.[159]
Gülen was named as one of TIME magazine's World's 100 Most Influential People in 2013.[160]
In 2015, Oklahoma City Thunder basketball player Enes Kanter claimed that he was excluded from the Turkish national basketball team for his public support of Gülen.[161] Kanter was disowned by his family in 2016 due to his support for Gülen.[162]
Gülen was listed as one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan.[163][164]
Rise Up (Colors of Peace) album
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/Rise-Up-Colors-of-Peace.jpg/220px-Rise-Up-Colors-of-Peace.jpg)
Rise Up (Colors of Peace) was a musical project to turn Gülen's poems and writings in Turkish language into songs. A selection had already been published as English language translations under the title Broken Plectrum. A total of 50 poems were sent to various Muslim and non-Muslim artists from various countries, who were free to pick, and then compose and vocalize the poem chosen, record it in their own country and send it back for inclusion in the planned album. Reportedly, no restrictions were put on the artists in using instrumentation, despite reservations by stricter Muslim interpretations about music and use of musical instruments. The album Rise Up (Colors of Peace) turned into an album of world music encompassing various genres like jazz, pop, flamenco, rai, Indian music among others.[165] The artists appearing (in order of appearance on the track list) were: The Good Morning Diary, Maher Zain, Faudel, Cristelo Duo featuring Bruno Gouveia, Ryan Shaw, Natacha Atlas, Bon Bon, KK & Reet, Mazachigno featuring Ely Bruna, Bahroma, Carmen Paris, Kobi Farhi & Ruba Shamshoum. The project took more than two years to realize and the album was released in 2013 by Nil Production and Universal Music.
Further reading
- M Hakan Yavuz & Bayram Balci (2018). Turkey's July 15th Coup: What Happened and Why. Utah Series in Middle East Studies. University of Utah Press. ISBN 9781607816065.
- What Went Wrong with Turkey? (special issue) (bi-monthly journal of interfaith dialogue, intercultural studies, art, and history). Engl. lang. Clifton, New Jersey: Blue Dome Press (affiliated with the Hizmet movement). 2017. ISSN 0967-9928.
{{cite book}}
: External link in
(help); Unknown parameter|editors=
|editors=
ignored (|editor=
suggested) (help) - Faruk Mercan (2017). No Return from Democracy: A Survey of Interviews with Fethullah Gulen. Blue Dome Press. ISBN 978-1682060179.
- M. Hakan Yavuz (2013). Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gülen Movement. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199927999.
- Asli Aydıntaşbaş (September 2016). "The good, the bad and the Gülenists: The Role of the Gulen Movement in Turkey's Coup Attempt". European Council on Foreign Relations. ecfr.eu. ISBN 978-1-910118-88-7.
{{cite journal}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|journal=
(help) - David Tittensor (2014). The House of Service: The Gülen Movement and Islam's Third Way. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199336418.
- Timur Tinçurl (26 November 2017). "Gülen movement: Creating an elite to lead the state". D+C Development and Cooperation.
- Timur Tinç (27 December 2017). "Creating an elite to lead the state: The Gulen movement in Turkey". Qantara.de.
- Mustafa Akyol (7 December 2017). "Gulenists Speak Out at Last". Al-Monitor (a review of former Hizmet participants' scholarly commentary about the movement)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
Notes
- ^ In Lester Kurtz's (of University of Texas, Austin) words, "One of the most striking operationalizations of Gulen's fusion of commitment and tolerance is the nature of the Gulen movement, as it is often called, which has established hundreds of schools in many countries as a consequence of his belief in the importance of knowledge, and example in the building of a better world. The schools are a form of service to humanity designed to promote learning in a broader sense and to avoid explicit Islamic propaganda." Kurtz also cites in the same work the comments of Thomas Michel, General Secretary of the Vatican Secretariat for Inter-religious Dialogue, after a visit to a school in Mindanao, Philippines, where the local people suffered from a civil war, as follows: "In a region where kidnapping is a frequent occurrence, along with guerrilla warfare, summary raids, arrests, disappearances and killings by military and para-military forces, the school is offering Muslim and Christian Filipino children, along with an educational standard of high quality, a more positive way of living and relating to each other." Kurtz adds: "The purpose of the schools movement, therefore, is to lay the foundations for a more humane, tolerant citizenry of the world where people are expected to cultivate their own faith perspectives and also promote the well being of others... It is significant to note that the movement has been so successful in offering high quality education in its schools, which recruit the children of elites and government officials, that it is beginning to lay the groundwork for high-level allies, especially in Central Asia, where they have focused much of their effort." See, Lester R. Kurtz, "Gulen's Paradox: Combining Commitment and Tolerance," Muslim World, Vol. 95, July 2005; 379–381.
References
Specific citations:
- ^ "Muhammed Fethullah Gülen - Islamic Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo". Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ Translates to "respected teacher"
- ^ Hannah Lucinda Smith, Istanbul (6 September 2017). "Fethullah Gulen: Erdogan rival left stateless in passport purge | World | The Times & The Sunday Times". Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ https://davidbcapes.com/articles/not-so-brief-articles/reclaiming-tolerance-a-j-conyers-and-fethullah-gulen/
- ^ https://theatlanticinstitute.org/atlanta/gandhi-king-ikeda-award-peace-ceremony
- ^ http://rumiforum.org/fethullah-gulen-awarded-the-2015-gandhi-king-ikeda-peace-award/
- ^ Erol Nazim Gulay, The Theological thought of Fethullah Gulen: Reconciling Science and Islam (St Antony's College Oxford University May 2007). p. 57
- ^ Duderija, Adis (2014). Maqasid al-Shari'a and Contemporary Reformist Muslim Thought: An Examination. ISBN 9781137319418.
Still, Gulen repeatedly states that he propagates neither tajdīd, nor ijtihād, nor reform and that he is just a follower of Islam, simply a Muslim. He is very careful about divorcing himself from any reformist, political, or Islamist discourse. Gulen's conscious dislike of using Islam as a discursive political instrument, which was a distinct trait in Nursi as well, indicates an ethicalized approach to Islam from a spiritual perspective.
- ^ a b Erol Nazim Gulay (May 2007). "The Theological thought of Fethullah Gulen: Reconciling Science and Islam" (PDF). St. Antony's College Oxford University. p. 56.
- ^ "Muhammed Fethullah Gülen - Islamic Studies - Oxford Bibliographies - obo". Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Fethullah Gülen's Official Web Site - Fethullah Gülen in Short". En.fgulen.com. 30 September 2009. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh, The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam, p 26. ISBN 1402098944
- ^ "Fethullah Gülen's Official Web Site - Gülen's Works". En.fgulen.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Bilefsky, Dan; Arsu, Sebnem (24 April 2012). "Turkey Feels Sway of Fethullah Gulen, a Reclusive Cleric". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ "Turkey on Diplomatic Push to Close Schools Linked to Influential Cleric". Voanews.com. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Real and imagined threats: the shared past of AKP and the Gülen movement | World | DW | 27.07.2016". DW. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ "Photos: Muslim retreat center in Saylorsburg".
- ^ Los Angeles Times (20 January 2014). "From his Pa. compound, Fethullah Gulen shakes up Turkey". latimes.com.
- ^ Adam Taylor (18 December 2013). "Fethullah Gulen's Pennsylvania Home - Business Insider". Business Insider.
- ^ Arango, Tim; Hubbard, Ben (19 July 2016). "Turkey Pursues Cleric Living in U.S., Blamed as Coup Mastermind". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ a b "How far they have travelled". The Economist. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Profile: Fethullah Gulen's Hizmet movement". BBC News.
- ^ "Hear what James Jeffrey says - MUSTAFA AKYOL". Hürriyet Daily News. 17 August 2016.
- ^ Birnbaum, Michael (14 June 2013). "In Turkey protests, splits in Erdogan's base". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ "Turkey challenged by terror in 2015". TRT World (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Gulen faces life in prison on coup attempt charges". TRT World (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Turkey: Erdogan faces new protests over corruption scandal". Digital Journal. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "İstanbul'da yolsuzluk ve rüşvet operasyonu". 17 December 2013.
- ^ "Profile: Fethullah Gulen's Hizmet movement". BBC News. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "The Gulen movement: a self-exiled imam challenges Turkey's Erdoğan". The Christian Science Monitor. 29 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Istanbul court issues new arrest warrant for Gulen". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Turkish Court accepts prosecutors request of arrest warrant for Fethullah Gülen". DailySabah. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Turkey to demand extradition of Fethullah Gulen from US". TRT World (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Turkish prosecutors seek life sentence for Fetullah Gulen". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Prof. Dr. Henri Barkey: Nobody in Wash,DC believes that Gulen is terrorist". aktif haber. 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "How does Washington view Gulen group". medyascope.tv. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Turkey challenged by terror in 2015". TRT World (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Mustafa Akyol (22 May 2013). "Is Gulen Movement Against Peace With PKK?". Al-monitor.com. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "What's behind AKP's allegations of Gulen-PKK ties?". Al-Monitor. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ Nordland, Rod (10 December 2016). "As Turkey Cracks Down, Kurdish Mayors Pack Bags for Jail". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ "What's behind AKP's allegations of Gulen-PKK ties?". Al-Monitor. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Fetullah Gülen'in Kürt planı!". Rudaw. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Valkenberg, Pim (2015). Renewing Islam by Service. CUA Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-8132-2755-9.
- ^ Çelik, Gürkan (2010). The Gülen Movement: Building Social Cohesion Through Dialogue and Education. Eburon Uitgeverij B.V. p. 42. ISBN 978-90-5972-369-6.
- ^ Marty, Martin E. (2015). Hizmet Means Service: Perspectives on an Alternative Path within Islam. University of California Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-520-96074-9.
- ^ a b c Wagner, Walter H. (2015). Beginnings and Endings. Işık Yayıncılık Ticaret. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-935295-70-9.
- ^ Haynes, Jeffrey (2013). Religion and Democratizations. Routledge. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-317-98646-1.
- ^ Hendrick, Joshua D. (2014). Gülen: The Ambiguous Politics of Market Islam in Turkey and the World. NYU Press. pp. 70–1. ISBN 978-1-4798-0046-9.
- ^ a b Ebaugh, Helen Rose (2009). The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4020-9894-9.
- ^ Ebaugh, Helen Rose (2009). The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4020-9894-9.
- ^ Marty, Martin E. (2015). Hizmet Means Service: Perspectives on an Alternative Path within Islam. University of California Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-520-96074-9.
- ^ "Gulen-Years of Education". fgulen.com. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ "The Gulen Movement: Communicating Modernization, Tolerance, and Dialogue in the Islamic World". The International Journal of the Humanities. Ijh.cgpublisher.com. pp. 67–78. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Religioscope - JFM Recherches et Analyses. "Religioscope: The Gülen Movement: a modern expression of Turkish Islam - Interview with Hakan Yavuz". Religion.info. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "Gulen Inspires Muslims Worldwide". Forbes. 21 January 2008.
- ^ "The Journalists and Writers Foundation".
- ^ "About the Journalists and Writers Foundation".
- ^ a b Biu.ac.il Archived 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Clement M. Henry, Rodney Wilson, The politics of Islamic Finance, Edinburgh University Press (2004), p 236". Eupjournals.com. 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam". 60 Minutes. CBS News. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ a b http://www.dw.com/en/from-ally-to-scapegoat-fethullah-gulen-the-man-behind-the-myth/a-37055485
- ^ "Turkish investigation into Islamic sect expanded". BBC News. 21 June 1999. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "Clement M. Henry, Rodney Wilson, ''The Politics of Islamic Finance'', (Edinburgh University Press 2004), p. 236". Eupjournals.com. 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "Gülen's answers to claims made based on the video tapes taken from some of his recorded speeches". En.fgulen.com. 24 September 2001. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Dogan Koc, Strategic Defamation of Fethullah Gülen: English Vs. Turkish, p. 24. ISBN 0761859306
- ^ a b Wwrn.org Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "From His Refuge in the Poconos, Reclusive Imam Fethullah Gulen Roils Turkey". The Wall Street Journal. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|authors=
ignored (help) - ^ see Joshua D. Hendrick: Gülen: The Ambiguous Politics of Market Islam in Turkey and the World. New York University Press, 2013, 58-62.
- ^ "Turkey's Thirty-Year Coup". The New Yorker. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ Arango, Tim; Hubbard, Ben (19 July 2016). "Turkey Pursues Cleric Living in U.S., Blamed as Coup Mastermind". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Turkey issues Fethullah Gulen arrest warrant". BBC. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ Solomon, Jay. "Cleric accused of masterminding Turkey coup attempt urges U.S. to deny extradition". MarketWatch. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Followers discuss who will replace Gülen - LOCAL". Hurriyetdailynews.com. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-fetullah-gulen-compound-investigation-20181003-story.html
- ^ https://www.rferl.org/a/fethullah-gulen-golden-generation/27952822.html
- ^ http://m.dw.com/en/freedom-for-turkish-cleric-gulen-at-pennsylvania-hide-out/a-36854480
- ^ https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/coup_plotter_or_moderate_religious_leader_yle_meets_turkeys_most_wanted_man/10149005
- ^ "Reconsidering Fethullah Gülen". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Turkey's Thirty-Year Coup". The New Yorker. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Profile: Fethullah Gulen's Hizmet movement". BBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ a b Arango, Tim (26 February 2014). "Turkish Leader Disowns Trials That Helped Him Tame Military". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
In 2005, years before the trials, a man affiliated with the Gulen movement approached Eric S. Edelman, then the American ambassador, at a party in Istanbul and handed him an envelope containing a handwritten document that supposedly laid out a plan for an imminent coup. But as Mr. Edelman recounted, he gave the documents to his colleagues and they were determined to be forgeries.
- ^ a b c "Turkey Feels Sway of Reclusive Cleric in the U.S." New York Times. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|authors=
ignored (help) - ^ Hurriyet Daily News, 16 November 2011, Banned book goes on sale in Istanbul book fair
- ^ a b Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh, The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam, p 38. ISBN 1402098944
- ^ a b c Fethullah Gulen (2010). Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance. Tughra Books. ISBN 978-1932099683.
- ^ a b c Tamer Balci (2013). "Islam and Democracy in the Thought of Nursi and Gulen". In Christopher L. Miller (ed.). The Gülen Hizmet Movement: Circumspect Activism in Faith-Based Reform. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 82. ISBN 9781443845076.
- ^ a b M. Hakan Yavuz, Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gülen Movement (Oxford University Press, 2013), p. 39.
- ^ M. Hakan Yavuz, Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gülen Movement (Oxford University Press, 2013), pp. 39-40.
- ^ M. Hakan Yavuz, Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gülen Movement (Oxford University Press, 2013), pp. 40-41.
- ^ "Why do we accuse the Gülen movement?". 21 May 2012.
- ^ "İlhan Cihaner: İntikam hisleri içinde değilim; cemaat silahlı terör örgütü değil, suç örgütü olabilir - Gündem". T24. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ Arango, Tim (26 February 2014). "Turkish Leader Disowns Trials That Helped Him Tame Military". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
Whether the corruption charges are justified or not — there has been plenty of leaked evidence, especially wiretapped conversations, that appears incriminating — the corruption probe has laid bare the influence of the Gulen movement within the Turkish state, which had largely been suspected but hard to prove.
- ^ "Turkey's Fethullah Gulen denies corruption probe links". BBC News. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ Tim Franks (27 January 2014). "Fethullah Gulen: Powerful but reclusive Turkish cleric". BBC. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Is Fethullah Gulen Turkey's own Trotsky?". New Europe. 20 July 2016.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Turkey After the Failed Coup: Fascism". The Algemeiner Journal. 21 July 2016.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Turkish PM: coup suspects' testimony points to Gülen's involvement". The Guardian. 26 July 2016.
- ^ Amana Fontanella-Khan (16 July 2016). "Fetullah Gülen: Turkey coup may have been 'staged' by Erdoğan government". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Gulen Accuses Erdogan of 'Slow-Motion Coup' in Turkey". VOA. 26 July 2016.
- ^ "Turkey demands extradition of cleric Fethullah Gulen from U.S." USA Today. 19 July 2016.
- ^ Daily Press Briefing by the Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 7/19/2016 The White House website.
- ^ "Turkish Premier Demands U.S. Help With Gulen". Wall Street Journal. 26 July 2016.
- ^ Editorial, Reuters. "U.S. says evaluating new Turkish documents on alleged coup leader".
{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "Turkey submits documents to US seeking Gulen extradition - News - DW.COM - 05.08.2016".
- ^ "Washington Post: Turkish evidence for Gulen extradition pre-dates coup attempt".
- ^ James V. Grimaldi, Dion Nissenbaum and Margaret Coker (24 March 2017). "Ex-CIA Director: Mike Flynn and Turkish Officials Discussed Removal of Erdogan Foe From U.S." Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Former Trump aide Flynn says lobbying may have helped Turkey". The Big Story. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Turkey's anti-Gulen crackdown ripples far and wide". Reuters. 30 July 2016.
- ^ "In Debt to Turkey, Somalia Shuts Network Tied to Fethullah Gulen". The New York Times. 30 July 2016.
- ^ "Attack on Gülen Movement Increasingly a Cornerstone of Turkey's Foreign Policy in the Balkans".
- ^ Gamal Essam el-Din (25 July 2016). "'The govt should give asylum to Turkish opposition figure Gulen,' says Egypt MP". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Grimaldi, James V.; Nissenbaum, Dion; Coker, Margaret (24 March 2017). "Ex-CIA Director: Mike Flynn and Turkish Officials Discussed Removal of Erdogan Foe From U.S." – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ "What Mike Flynn Did for Turkey". The New Yorker. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "The Michael Flynn Scandal Just Got A Lot Worse". Fortune.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ Politics. "James Woolsey and Mike Flynn Turkey Gulen". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ Fulya OZERKAN (14 July 2017). "New Turkey purge on eve of failed coup anniversary". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Fethullah Gulen's Message on the Anniversary of the Coup Attempt in Turkey". Hizmetnews.com. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Top court approves revoke of Gülen's 'special passport' - POLITICS". Hurriyetdailynews.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ Hannah Lucinda Smith, Istanbul (6 September 2017). "Fethullah Gulen: Erdogan rival left stateless in passport purge | World | The Times & The Sunday Times". Thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Gülen resorts to UN to investigate Turkey's coup". Hizmetnews.com. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ 2:05 PM ET (11 July 2017). "Fethullah Gulen, Exiled Cleric Accused Of Turkey Coup Attempt Plot: 'I Have Stood Against All Coups' : Parallels". NPR. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "A pastor becomes a pawn in a spat between America and Turkey". Economist.com. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ a b 7:49 AM ET. "Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric : The Two-Way". NPR. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Give us Gülen if you want arrested pastor Andrew Brunson to be freed: Erdoğan tells US". Hürriyet Daily News.
- ^ nytimes.com: Turkey Rebuffs Trump, Won't Send Jailed US Pastor Back|
- ^ "Erdogan Is Holding Andrew Brunson Hostage". The Daily Caller. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ Friday 29 September 2017 02:09 UTC (29 September 2017). "Erdogan suggests freeing imprisoned US pastor for Gulen extradition". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ 10:31 AM ET (4 September 2016). "In Turkey, The Man To Blame For Most Everything Is A U.S.-Based Cleric : Parallels". NPR. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ https://turkeypurge.com/gulen-linked-businessman-jailed-forced-return-sudan
- ^ Erol Nazim Gulay, The Theological thought of Fethullah Gulen: Reconciling Science and Islam (St. Antony's College Oxford University May 2007). p. 1
- ^ [1] Archived 6 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Portrait of Fethullah Gülen, A Modern Turkish-Islamic Reformist". Qantara.de. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Guest Editor Zeki Saritoprak (Editor) (1 January 2005). "Thomas Michel S.J., ''Sufism and Modernity in the Thought of Fethullah Gülen'', The Muslim World, Vol. 95 No. 3, July 2005, pp. 345-5". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ Mehmet Kalyoncu, A Civilian Response to Ethno-Religious Conflict: The Gülen Movement in Southeast Turkey (Tughra Books, 2008), pp. 19–40. Books.google.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Berna Turam. "Berna Turam, Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement (Stanford University Press 2006) p. 61". Sup.org. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Guest Editor Zeki Saritoprak (Editor) (1 January 2005). "Saritoprak, Z. and Griffith, S. Fethullah Gülen and the 'People of the Book': A Voice from Turkey for Interfaith Dialogue, The Muslim World, Vol. 95 No. 3, July 2005, p.337-8". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ Ebaugh, Helen Rose (2009). The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4020-9894-9.
- ^ Spiegelman, Margaret. "What Scares Turkey's Women?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ Ali Unal (Author) (1 October 2000). Advocate of Dialogue: Fethullah Gülen. Amazon.com. ISBN 978-0970437013.
{{cite book}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Gülen: Alevi-Sunni brotherhood should not be marred by bridge controversy". Today's Zaman. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Elise Massicard (2013). The Alevis in Turkey and Europe: Identity and Managing Territorial Diversity (illustrated ed.). Routledge. pp. 109–10. ISBN 9780415667968.
- ^ Greg Barton; Paul Weller; Ihsan Yilmaz (18 December 2014). The Muslim World and Politics in Transition: Creative Contributions of the Gulen Movement. A&C Black. p. 119. ISBN 9781441158734.
- ^ a b skyron.co.uk. "European Muslims, Civility and Public Life Perspectives On and From the Gülen Movement". Continuumbooks.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "Fethullah Gülen Web Sitesi - Devlet ve Şeriat". Tr.fgulen.com. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Fethullah Gülen's Official Web Site - Women Confined and Mistreated". En.fgulen.com. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Fethullah Gülen: A life dedicated to peace and humanity- True Muslims Cannot Be Terrorists". En.fgulen.com. 4 February 2002. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Importance of Gulen Movement in the Post 9/11 Era: Co-existenceFethullah Gulen". Fethullah Gulen. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "A Real Muslim cannot be a Terrorist". Fethullah Gulen. 23 March 2004. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ Günter Seufert (January 2014). "Is the Fethullah Gülen Movement Overstretching Itself?" (Research Paper). Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ Lauria, Joe. "Reclusive Turkish Imam Criticizes Gaza Flotilla". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Turkey and Syria: An explosive border". Economist.com. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ "Gülen warns against Turkey's unilateral war". TODAY'S ZAMAN. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Halil Karaveli (12 November 2012). "Erdogan Pays for His Foreign Policy". The National Interest. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Gulen's publications". tr.fgulen.com (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Gulen books in English". en.fgulen.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "ZAMAN". Archived from the original on 16 April 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Fethullah Gulen Awarded 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda Peace Award".
- ^ "Link" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "2008 "2008 Oscar nominations - Prospect Magazine".
- ^ "Fethullah Gulen Named in TIME Magazine's "World's 100 Most influential people in the world" in 2013". Niagara Foundation.
- ^ "Controversy looms as Gülen follower Enes Kanter left out of national team". Hürriyet Daily News. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ "Symbol of a troubled Turkey, pro-Gulen NBA star splits with family". Reuters. 9 August 2016.
- ^ "Gülen, Hodjaefendi Fethullah - The Muslim 500".
- ^ Schleifer, Abdallah (2011). The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims, 2012. Amman, Jordan: The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. p. 55. ISBN 978-9957-428-37-2.
- ^ Fethullah Gülen. "Fethullah Gülen's Official Web Site - Islamic scholar Gülen's poems turned into songs for international album".
General references:
- FORBES - Gulen Inspires Muslims Worldwide at the Wayback Machine (archived 23 January 2008)
- Interfaith Radio - Turkey's Champion of Interfaith Dialogue
- The Economist - Global Muslim networks- How far they have travelled
- The Economist- Fethullah Gulen- A farm boy on the world stage
- Reuters - Turkish Islamic preacher - threat or benefactor?
- The New York Times - Turkish Schools Offer Pakistan a Gentler Vision of Islam
- The New York Times: Fethullah Gulen profile
- Foreign Policy - Fethullah Gulen as a Top Public Intellectual
- Profile on PBS show: Religion and Ethics January 21, 2011
- The New Republic Magazine: The Global Imam
- Qantara.de: The Fethullah Gülen Movement: Pillar of Society or Threat to Democracy?
- MERIA: Fethullah Gülen and his Liberal "Turkish Islam" movement
- ME Forum: Turkish Islam's Moderate Face
- ME Forum: Fethullah Gülen's Grand Ambition: Turkey's Islamist Danger
- The Gülen Movement: a modern expression of Turkish Islam
- The Nurcu Movement in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Fethullah Gulen
- Hizment and Fethullah Gulen
- Love is a Verb (2014), a film directed by Terry Spencer Hesser
- Uranli, Arzu Kaya (13 June 2014). "Yes, Love Is a Verb!". The Huffington Post.
- "Love is a Verb". Rotten Tomatoes.
- IMDb
- Who Is Fethullah Gülen?
- Fethullah Gulen (15 May 2017). "The Turkey I No Longer Know" (op-ed). Washington Post.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help)
- Multi-media
- Philip Crowther & Leela Jacinto (13 November 2017). "Exclusive: US-exiled cleric Gulen says he knew about Turkey's 'Flynn bribes'" (video of interview). France24.
- Philip Crowther & Leela Jacinto (19 November 2017). "Gulen admits meeting key figure in Turkey coup plot, dismisses Erdogan's 'senseless' claims" (video of interview). France24.
- 1941 births
- Living people
- Christian–Islamic–Jewish interfaith dialogue
- Critics of atheism
- Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges
- Interfaith dialogue
- Gülen movement
- Islam and politics
- Islamic studies scholars
- People from Pasinler
- People from Monroe County, Pennsylvania
- Quranic exegesis scholars
- Scholars of Sufism
- Stateless people
- Sufis
- Sunni Muslim scholars
- Turkish dissidents
- Turkish emigrants to the United States
- Turkish exiles
- 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
- 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam
- People involved in the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt